The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-09
THE SIGHTLESS CADETS.
How the Blind Boys Marched and Went
Through the Manual of Arms.


From, the Philadelphia Press
Sixty boys in military uniform, whose
sightless eyes were blind to the sunlight
which trickled through the leaves of the
trees above their heads, and who could not
recognize the faces of the friends and kins-
man who surrounded them, marched and
drilled yesterday in the grounds of the
Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruc-
ton of the Blind, with the precision of
veterans
The drilling of the cadets is feature of
this institution, and it is an original fea-
ture, to which there is none similar in this
country. The patience, the study and time
spent upon this branch of instruction
presents reward in the improved bearing
OF the little soldiers, and in the health which
the exercise gives them.
When the cadets marched from the GYM
naslum to the playground it was almost i'm
possible to believe the miniature militiamen
were blind. Their shoulders were squared,
their heads erect, and their step was firm
and regular. The muzzles of their muskets
made an unwavering line of light, and the
red stripes on their blue trouser legs rose
and fell with the regularity of machine
1t was the final full dress drill of the cadets
and all of their friends and relations and
the friends of the institution were gathered
around the walls of the playground.
But the applause which saluted the cadets
as they filed past was the only knowledge
they had of the near presence of hundreds of
spectators. The left hand of each boy rest
ed, as he marched, on the left shoulder of
the one preceding him. The first boy in each
company could see.
Commandment Maj. Harry W. King di-
rected the battalion to ground arms" and
at the word every gun touched the ground
at the same moment The cadets separated
and stood at two yards distance Then at
the spoken command they went through a
calisthenic drill, clapping their hands, rails
ing their arms and swinging them like SO
many autOmatons worked by the same
piece of mechanism.
1t was only when the boys bent over to
touch the ground with their finger tips that
there was any irregularity; then the differ
ence in height of the cadets made it impos-
sible for the long-limbed boys to recover
themselves as quickly as did their younger
comrades. The guns were picked up and
the command was given, "Twos, threes and
tours, forward" The ranks broke and there
was scattered movement to the right the
right hands and arms of the cadets held
their muskets firm and the left hands moved
anxiously in search of a companions shout
der. By some instinct finer than sight
itself the moment the wandering fingers of
seemed to know instantly that it was the
man he sought
In a few seconds the battalion was formed
in close ranks of two. As the ranks marched
and countermarched, broke and reformed
the other inmates of the institution sat and
stood in groups around the walls, guessing
from the words of command what their
companions were doing. Among them was
a large, heavily built man, who sat with
one hand over his sightless eyes and with
the other clasped in both of those of little
girl. She called him father, and as the drill
went on told him as graphically as child
could what her black, pretty eyes saw be-
fore her, and how and what the cadets were
doing.
At the conclusion of the drill Acting Prin-
cipal Frank Battles called from the ranks
those of the boys who had wonthe nine gold
and bronze medals which different friends
of the institution have awarded annually to
the best soldiers of the battalion. 1t was
pretty and pathetic picture the young sol
diers made as they stepped forward with
their faces flushed with pleasure and saluted
while the medals were pinned upon their
breasts. And it was still more pathetic to
see them when they had been led back to the
ranks nervously finger the new decorations
to read, if possible, their beauty through
their finger-tips.